Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is on the move. The New York law firm has reached a final deal to shift its D.C. offices to a new building being developed by Akridge at 1200 17th St. NW in the District’s Golden Triangle neighborhood.

Pillsbury signed the lease after reportedly terminating a monthslong negotiation to acquire another D.C. law firm, Dickstein Shapiro LLP, that would have impacted the amount of space Pillsbury needed in the District.

It is the second major law firm to announce a flight to new construction in D.C. this month following news that Arnold & Porter LLP will relocate to 601 Massachusetts Ave. NW.

Pillsbury signed a lease for 105,000 square feet at 1200 17th St., which Akridge is developing at 17th and M streets with Japanese investment firm Mitsui Fudosan America. Pillsbury is slated to relocate to the 168,000-square-foot building in January 2015 from its current offices at 2300 N St. NW. Pillsbury has been searching for new space for more than a year. As the Washington Business Journal first reported, Pillsbury has been in negotiations on the lease since it signed a letter of intent with Akridge in September.

Akridge President Matt Klein said Pillsbury’s commitment validates his company’s decision to launch the speculative redevelopment. Akridge began tearing down the National Restaurant Association’s former headquarters to make way for the new structure, designed for Platinum certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. He declined to disclose the cost, but the firm previously estimated the figure at about $110 million. The association has since relocated to new space at 2055 L St. NW.

“It’s a great deal, we’re excited about it,” Klein said. “What it does is it plays really well to all sorts of market trends.”

Representatives from Pillsbury could not be reached for comment. In a statement, Managing Partner Christine Nicolaides Kearns said the firm selected 1200 17th St. after “a very thorough search across the city.”

“The building’s central location, highly efficient design, sustainability and aesthetics make this a very attractive choice for our firm and for our clients,” she said in the statement.

The move represents a growing emphasis on greater efficiency among Washington-area law firms, and many of those firms are meeting that demand by moving to newer buildings. Pillsbury, for example, will shed about 75,000 square feet with its move. Arnold & Porter and Covington & Burling LLP, which is moving to CityCenterDC, are also slimming up with their moves.

Klein said 1200 17th St. was designed in large part to reflect that shift in how law firms use their space these days. Its rectangular design and narrower floor plates can be set up for more window views and natural light.

“I think the building sold itself,” Klein said. “Obviously, our team did a great job designing and marketing the space.”

Akridge previously awarded a $38 million contract to Balfour Beatty Construction to manage the project, which was designed by ZGF Architects. The new tower is 63 percent pre-leased with Pillsbury’s commitment, leaving 63,000 square feet available for other tenants. Akridge is marketing the space at an asking rent of $57 per square foot on a triple-net basis, according to CoStar Group Inc.

Akridge initially planned to develop the building with First Potomac Realty Trust. The pair acquired the site in January 2011 for $39.6 million. Then, in August 2012, First Potomac sold its interest in the partnership to Mitsui Fudosan for $43.7 million.